Victor may



No. 626,625. Patented lune 6, |899. V. MAY.

. CUBETTE.

(Application led Apr. 9, 1898.)

(No Model.)v

'UNIT-ED iSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR MAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AUGUST F. BAUER, OF SAME PLACE.

CURETTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,625, dated June 6, 1899. Application iiled April 9,1898. Serial No. 677,087. (No model.)

To all whom, t may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, VICTOR MAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curettes; and I do vhereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification. Y l The present invention relates to that class of gynecological instruments for the treatment of the uterus known as curettes, and more especially to that type of the same in which the body or scraper portion has a spiral formation.

The objects of the present improvements are as follows: first, to provide such spirallyformed curettes with a novel and eective form of the spiral or body portion that afv l fords a very efficient support to the inn-er walls of the uterus and prevents in a very perfect manner a twisting of the same during the use of the instrument that is very liable tooccur With the ordinaryspirallyformed curette due to the muscular contractibility of the uterus tending to draw the inner walls of the same into the wide spaces between the spiral blades and presentgreat` resistance to an independent rotation of the curette, and, second,to affordmeans in connection with such type of curette, means for carrying a strip or roll of lint at the exterior surface or perimeter of the spirally-formed head or scraper o'f the curette for the purpose of final cleaning, applying antiseptic dressings, and the like, as will hereinafter more fully appear. I attain such objects by the construction 'and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a curette formed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2, an end view of the j same; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail section at line @c x, Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like 3 at the extreme outer end and that is in axial line with the stem 1, as shown.

In the present invention the spirally-formed portion 2 consists of two or more spirals 4 and 5, having a parallel relation and united together at a point below their outer perimeter,

so as to leavea sunken groove between them that extends around the perimeter of the spirally-formed portion 2 from the axial button at front'to or:- nearly adjacent to the point of connection with the handled stem 1. In iny preferred construction this groove 6 will be of a V shape substantially,

the straight walls of which incline toward each other' and are united together, as shown, the ou ter edges thereof constituting the spiral cleaning and supporting surfaces e and 5 of the curette, as heretofore described. With such construction the forward spiral 4 will constitute a forward cleaning edge or margin that acts as a scraper to clean the interiorv wall of the uterus in the manner usual to the present type of instruments, While the rearward spiral 5 Will constitute a rearward supportingv edge or margin, located a distance back from the forward cleaning edge or margin and adapted to give intermediate support vto the wall of the uterus against the muscular contraction of the same, and thus prevent in a great measure the sinking of the uterus-Wall intorthe space between the spiral convolutions to bind upon the cleaning edge or margin and render it difficult to rotate the curette Without twisting the `uterus out of place.

In the present invention the sunken peripheral groove 6 is utilized in the performance of an additional and veryA useful function of the curette-" to wit, the subsequent cleaning or wiping out the interior of the uterus, the

application, as antiseptic or other medicines thereto, as well as obtaining an indication of vthe condition of such interior wall of the uterus. To this end the said sunken groove 6 Will be filled with a stripl or roll of lint ',7, that is substantially attached at one end by being passed through an orifice 8 in the head or button 8 and knotted,'so as to prevent detachment, as indicated inFig. 1. With such arrangement the lint 7 is adapted by contact with the inner walls of the uterus to bring away an indication of the condition thereof,

IOO

'such as bleeding thereof, `the prese-nce of mucus, &c., as welll as to carry anantiseptic or other medicinal composition' for application to such walls, as above mentioned.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is A 1. In a curette substantially as herein described, the spiral body portion formed with aforward cleaning edge or margin, and a rear-Y ward supporting edge or margin located a distance back of the cleaning edge or margin, and adapted to serve as an intermediate support.

portion, against muscular contraction of the l vided with a groove in its outer periphery, a vfilling of lint arranged in said groove, and

means for attaching the lint in place, the

` samey comprising an orifice formed in the end button of the curette and adapted to receive a knotted end of the strip or roll of lint, sub- 3 stantially as; setvlorth.. between the convolutions of the spiral body Q 6th day of April, 1898. uterus, the said spiral body portion being formed with a groove betweenl the forward and rearward edge, substantially as set forth, 2;.A In a curette substantially as hereiny described', the-spirally-formed bod-y portion pro- Intestimony whereof witness my hand this l VICTQR MAY.

ll presence of'- R-oBnRr BURNS JAMES- LAVALLIN. 

